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New York has completed the first phase of its allocation of federal stimulus funds for highway projects ahead of schedule: According to stimulus infrastructure czar Timothy Gilchrist, more than $392 million has been obligated well in advance of the 120-day deadline since passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

That means if any states fail to properly earmark all of their currently designated funds (Louisiana’s Gov. Bobby Jindal, among others, expressed initial reluctance to use all of his state’s portion) by the June 29 deadline, New York will be among those in line to snatch up the unused funds.

In a conference call with reporters, Gilchrist said that all but about 15 states had met the deadline, and he was uncertain how many were at risk of losing some of their designated infrastructure dollars — a state could make up for any shortfall by certifying one sizable project, he noted.

Gilchrist — who rebuffed rumors that he might be moving over to become the state’s Director of Operations (“I gotta spend this money, guys”) — said that a new round of infrastructure projects would be announced in coming days.

Gilchrist said the infusion of federal dollars has added roughly a billion dollars to the state’s spending on highway projects this year, for a total of $2.6 billion.

Visit the state’s interactive stimulus map to see projects currently certified.

See the full press release after the jump.

Governor David A. Paterson today announced that New York State has reached a significant milestone in administering federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. The Federal Highway Administration has obligated more than $392 million of ARRA highway funds for projects Governor Paterson has certified as eligible for any ARRA funding, making the State eligible for any ARRA highway funds that other states fail to use.

Because the transportation funds are given to states on a reimbursement basis, the federal government obligates – or sets aside – funding for projects as they are certified as shovel-ready and eligible for ARRA funding by Governors in each state. To encourage states to use these funds quickly to stimulate the economy, a “use-it-or-lose-it” provision was included in the ARRA legislation. The legislation requires that 50 percent of certain highway funds distributed to each state be obligated within 120 days, which created a June 29 deadline.

New York had $392 million in funds that were subject to the “use it or lose it” provision by the June 29, 2009, deadline. The State has succeeded in meeting that deadline more than a month ahead of schedule, accelerating job creation across the State. This positions New York to receive funds from other states in the event there is redistribution under the “use it or lose it” provision.

“From the time the President and Congress made these funds available, I pledged to use the money as intended: to get people back to work quickly and efficiently, which will stimulate our economy and reduce the severe unemployment we face. New York has expeditiously allocated its transportation funding to projects in every region of this State, and will continue to use these funds to get New Yorkers working again,” said Governor Paterson. “By providing ARRA funding, President Barack Obama and the New York Congressional Delegation have given us an unprecedented opportunity to improve our transportation infrastructure, aid education, assist low-income and unemployed New Yorkers and boost our State and local economies. I commend all of our partners in government for working cooperatively to ensure that we met this critical ARRA milestone for transportation and pledge our continuing commitment to getting federal funding to critical projects and putting people to work.”

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee said: “Governor Paterson’s leadership and decisiveness in selecting projects is enabling us to improve our transportation infrastructure, enhancing safety and supporting economic development in the process. With the help of our elected officials and metropolitan transportation planning organizations, New York is making needed investments that are creating jobs and rebuilding our bridges and highways.”

New York State is expected to receive approximately $26.7 billion in ARRA funding, which the White House estimates will create or save 215,000 jobs. The economic recovery funds New York will receive for transportation projects must follow the same process required for distributing all federal transportation funds. The funds are allocated to projects that are selected by the 13 regional Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) across the State, which are comprised of local elected officials, local transit operators and NYSDOT representatives. MPOs vote unanimously on projects for their Transportation Improvement Program, and the projects then are eligible to receive economic-recovery funds.

Similarly, regions of New York State without MPOs are served by the NYSDOT, which consults with local elected officials and selects projects for the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The department is working with local officials and the Governor’s Economic Recovery Cabinet to identify priority shovel-ready projects eligible for recovery funds.

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